When can I start to let my child stay home alone? How old should my child be? How long can I leave my child home alone? If you’ve been thinking about these questions since the new school year started, you are not alone. Many parents ask these questions when their child seems too old for childcare and yet not old enough to be on their own for long periods of time. While child experts typically agree that 11 or 12 years old is an appropriate age to stay home alone for a few hours, there are a number of factors to consider and it varies for each family. Take into account the maturity of your child, where you live, your support network and how far away you as a parent will be. 

One way to approach this topic in your household is to consider what you have observed in regards to your child’s self-care readiness. Complete the Is Your Child Ready for Self-care? questionnaire. Remember to involve your child in this big decision. You can do this by having them fill out the Are You Ready? questionnaire. Be sure to talk together with your child about the results.

Extension’s Home Alone: Preparing for Self Care program can assist your family in exploring whether or not a child  is ready for self-care.  If your child is ready, this program can help in developing your family’s home alone plan.  Parents and children should complete this program together. Video clips are provided to learn key things to know and spark conversations with your child so they are prepared to be at home alone. You and your child will learn about safety, medical emergencies, and how to report an emergency. If there are younger siblings they will be responsible for, be sure to discuss the family rules to prevent arguments. Structuring the time your child is alone is important. Structure could include a list of chores after school, hobbies they can do on their own or homework. Technology can be tempting when children are on their own at home. Learn tips about chatting with your kids about being online in one of the many videos in this online course. Preparing your child to be at home alone helps lead to less stress on you as the parent and more success for your child as they learn to become more independent.